UNPAID ARMY OF CARERS

Dear Editor, Millions of people across the UK are unpaid carers – 6.8 million, in fact.

When Carers UK’s recent State of Caring report highlighted the plight of unpaid carers, the findings, although astonishing, painted a sadly familiar picture.

In agreement with Carers UK, our own research found that many carers maintain their role for long periods of time with little or no time off.

A third said they had not had any significant time off since they started caring, with 90 per cent not able to access proper holidays away from caring.

With such little access to time away, it’s unsurprising that many carers begin to feel the pressure of their role.

In a separate study, 60 per cent of carers we asked admitted that they felt unable to“switch off” from their role, with over six out of 10 saying that they felt mentally exhausted and over half saying they didn’t know how they would be able to cope if things continued the way they were.

I work for Revitalise – an incredible national charity that provides respite holidays for disabled people and carers. We see every day how vitally important respite is in enabling carers to continue coping and caring for their loved ones.

That’s why we’re showing our support for unpaid carers all across the UK, calling for immediate action and greater statutory support for social care services, particularly respite.

If Advertiser readers would like more information about Revitalise and our breaks, or would like to support our vital work, please visit www.revitalise. org.uk or call us on 0303 303 0145. Stephanie Stone, Revitalise